Press Releases

Press Releases from 2017

The Lammy Review fails to prove bias in the criminal justice system

12 December 2017

David Lammy’s claim that there is ‘overt discrimination’ against ethnic minorities in the criminal justice system is undermined today by a Civitas paper probing the findings of his recent review. The briefing shows how the Lammy Review fails to substantiate arguments that disparities between different ethnic groups can be explained by ‘bias’. It suggests that the government is right to reject calls for diversity quotas in the judiciary. The new paper, by Peter Cuthbertson…

The blueprint for a new Inclusive Capitalism

1 November 2017

The choice between socialism and capitalism appeared to have been settled years ago, but now it’s back. In a new publication, David Green argues that capitalism had it coming. Casino capitalists and crony capitalists have corrupted the high ideal of economic freedom. But, a morally justified form of capitalism is within our reach, if we are prepared to undertake fundamental reform. Calling for a new ‘inclusive capitalism’ that delivers prosperity for all, Civitas director…

Rapid population growth requires strategic thinking in Whitehall and wider public debate

7 September 2017

The UK’s headcount is set to increase by nearly 10 million over the next two decades, enough to populate Greater Manchester more than three times over This will require more than 4 million additional homes, or one every three minutes throughout that period, as well as new hospitals, schools, roads and other infrastructure Government thinking has so far been siloed and piecemeal, and the complexities of the debate poorly understood and explained The government…

New Civitas pamphlet says industrial strategy will fail to halt deindustrialisation and does nothing to capitalise on the opportunities from leaving the EU A bold industrial strategy would have reindustrialisation as its strategic goal, not through unsustainable subsidies but by establishing competitive advantage The strategy should systematically remove barriers to reindustrialisation, including Britain’s high energy costs, but decarbonisation has been prioritised instead The Queen’s Speech says ministers ‘will spread prosperity and opportunity across…

Exchange rate policy needed to rejuvenate industry post-Brexit

21 June 2017

The key to sustainable, inclusive growth is a competitive pound, John Mills writes in a new Civitas book Sterling should fall further and kept in the range of $1-$1.10 to the pound to promote physical investment in UK manufacturing The government should adopt an explicit exchange rate target designed to keep the pound close to parity with the dollar as part of a major restructuring of the economy after Brexit, a new Civitas…

Immigration rules are not being properly enforced, former head of immigration enforcement reveals Illegal immigration could be running at 150,000 per annum above official legal migration numbers, according to internal estimates Attempts to restrict EU immigration post-Brexit will generate additional illegal immigration Immigration to the UK is running much higher than official statistics suggest and will be impossible to reduce to the levels Theresa May has promised without a dramatic change of approach…

Government support for domestic supply chains will be critical to manufacturing post-Brexit

31 May 2017

A key part of the government’s industrial strategy should be a fund to support UK manufacturing supply chains to offset the impact of any new trade barriers that arise from leaving the single market, a new Civitas report argues. This will be especially important for the automotive industry – which has 169,000 people employed in manufacturing vehicles and supports around 814,000 jobs across the UK – but should be made available across different manufacturing…

Reform land compensation rules to speed up new housing delivery

5 May 2017

The government’s housing white paper will not increase housebuilding to the levels needed New residential land is drip-fed by the market at a rate that keeps prices high Local authorities need stronger powers over build rates and the ability to compulsorily-purchase land at lower prices The ability of landowners to profit from the slow release of land for housing development should be removed to enable speedier construction of new homes at lower…

The UK’s potential trillion euro counter-claim against the EU

29 March 2017

High-stakes negotiations over Britain’s future liabilities to the EU should be entered with an ambitious counter-claim against the EU The UK should issue a counter-claim to the EU’s ‘Brexit Bill’ many times the sum being mooted by Michel Barnier if it is to get the best deal it can in negotiations over the divorce, a new paper published by Civitas today argues. Miles Saltiel urges ministers to avoid ‘taking a…

Economies trading with the EU under WTO rules have done better than the UK

23 March 2017

British export growth to Single Market founder members has been slower than that of non-members with no free trade deal UK exports to non-members has also been growing faster than to fellow members of the Single Market since 1993 Economies that trade with the EU on World Trade Organization (WTO) terms have increased their exports to the Single Market five times faster than the UK over the past two decades, a new Civitas…

British business need have little to fear from EU tariff barriers

9 January 2017

A new Civitas study demonstrates how UK exporters could be compensated if Britain leaves the EU without having agreed a free trade deal with its remaining members An £8.8 billion package of support, built around R&D credits, support for disadvantaged regions and reducing electricity costs would be WTO-compliant and offset tariff costs Such a scheme would form the bedrock of a post-Brexit industrial strategy and be funded entirely from tariffs…